Fleisch



s. F. RINUFLEISCH.

COLLAPSIBLE TAP. APPLycATloN msn APn.2. 191e.

Patented 06511919.

, 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.A-B. F. RINDFLEISCH.

COLLAPSIE.E TAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, ISIS. Lwg, A Patented oet. 7,1919.

3SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

B. F. RINDFLEISCH.

COLLAP'SIBLE TAP.

APPLICATION FILEDy muze,

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

-SHEET 3.

w Q w BENJAMIN F. RINDFLEISCH, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THENATIONAL ACME COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

'COLLAPSIBLE TA1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BIND- rLrliscii, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of()hio, have invented certain new and useful Improvenients in CollapsibleTaps, of which the following is a specification.

T his invention relates to in'iprovements in taps, and more particularlyto that class thereof known as collapsible taps, the object of theinvention being to provide an improved tap of this character in whichthe cutters or chasers -will beautomatically released from the workafter the tap has cut the required length, so that the tap may beremoved from the work without the necessity of reversing or` backing outof the threaded piece, and it is an improvement in part upon thecollapsible taps shown and described in my Patent No. 1,211,954 datedFebruary 6, 1917, in that a number of the parts therein required aredispensed with whereby the tap therein shown is very much simplified,and the expense of manufacture reduced.

In my' prior structure, when the forward movement of the tap was stoppedthe chasers were released from the work by reason of the fact that thetap head or body was pulled forward from the shank or hub portion, whichrequired a special form of cooperating locking means to maintain theseparts in proper operative position.

In the present improvement, however, the tripping ofthe chasers orcutters so as to release them from the work, is not accom'- plished bypulling the tap head forward away1 from the shank or hub, but byshifting rearwardly by means of the work a shiftable inem'ber or sleeve,thereby to unlock the chasers and permit them to-col lapse, a structurewhich is very much simpler in construction and in operation and also forcertain classes of work more efiicient in results.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,Figures 1, 2 and 3` illustrate side views of the assembled tap, Fig. 2being taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and Fig. 1 illustrating thecutters in position to thread a piece of work, while Fig. 3 illustratesthem in their collapsed position, Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are longitudinalsectional views of this improved tap; Fig. 7 is a front end view of thetap; Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate front end views of the tap with the coverplate removed and showing different positions of the cutters; Fig. 10 isa front end View of the tap, the cover plate, cutters and chasersremoved; Fig. 11 is'a cross sectional View taken on line 11-11 Fig. 1; Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view taken on line 12-12 Fig. 1; and Fig. 13is a cross sectional View taken on line 13-13 Fig. 1.

Similar 'characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings. In the form shown in the drawings, thisimproved tap comprises a body or head 2, of circular rod formation andof sufficient length to also form the shank 3 slabbed oif at one side asat 4 for attachment thereof to the spindle or the tool-carrying turret'F of the machine, in which machine the tap is usually reciprocated-backward and forward to bring it into position to carry on its work andthen carry it away from the work after the work is finished, and. inwhich .the work or the tap is rotated for threading the piece. The bodyis drilled back as at 5 to receive the core piece or member 6, and theforward end of the body is provided with four radial slots 7 for thereception of the cutters or chasers 8, each of which has its inner orunder surface in- .clined or cam-formed for the purpose hereinafterdescribed.

, Located in the bore 5 of the body is the core piece or member 6, madein the present instance in three sections 6, 6 and 6. The core memberproper 6 has that end thereof adjacent to the cutters provided with fourcurved or concaved sides 7 forming four cutter engaging corners or edges8 and forwardly 'of the cutter engaging portions the core member isprovided with a cylinder projection 9 adapted to extend through thecover plate 10. The rear end of the core member is likewise providedwith a projection 11 having an opening therein for the reception of oneend of a coiled spring 6, forming the second member of the core piece.The opposite end of the spring 6 is received in an opening of aprojection 12 carried by a short slabbed member 6 forming the thirdmember 0f the core piece. These three parts 6', 6 and 6 are assembledbefore they are slipped into the bore 5 of the body, and are held inposition by a set screw 13 (see Fig. 4) engaging the sla'bbed-offportion of the member 6. After the core member is inserted in the boreit is by means of a wrench or by holding it in a vise given two or threeturns thereby to wind up thespring 6 to the desired tension, it beingheld in that condition by the handle hereinafter described. The rear endof each cutter blade is provided with a V-shaped recess 14 for thereception of a tripping pin 15 located in a bore parallel with the bore5 and pressed forward by a spring 16. Located on the body portion of thetap is a collar 17 having a pair of recesses 18. This collar is providedwith an elongated slot 19, through which the handle 2O projects, andwhich handle vextends; into an opening of the core piece as at 21 (seeFig. 4). Carried by the collar at right angles to the handle is a pairof adjustable screws 22 for limiting the throw of the handle and therebythe movement of the chasers. In other words, by setting up these screwsthe desired amount, the chasers may be adjusted within certain limits totap different sizes of holes. The collar 17, it will thus be seen,.isloosely mounted upon the body of the tap by the handle projectingthrough it and into the core pieceA 6; Located in the rear of thiscollar forsliding movement upon the tap bodyis a sleeve 25. This sleeveis provided with a pair of forwardly projecting lugs 20 constitutingwith the recesses 18 of the collar the locking means for holding cuttersin their adjusted or working positions. Located in recesses 27 of thetap body (see Fig. 4) and directly under the sleeve 25 is a pair ofcoiled springs. Projecting through the sleeve at diametrically oppositepoints and into these recesses for engagement with the forward ends ofthe springs 27 is a pair of screws 28, the springs thus acting to pushthe sleeve forward so that the locking lugs will engage in the recesses18 of the collar at the proper time. The sleeve is provided with a pairof transversely extending slots 29, in 'which is located a pair of bars30, the forward ends of which are secured to a disk 31 radially recessedas at 32 (see Figs. 7 to 10), whereby it may be readily "slipped overthe chasers. The bars 30 are at their rear ends secured to the sleeve 25by headed bolts 33 and for this purpose they project through elongatedslots 311 of the bars or arms 3,0 whereby the position of the disk withrelation to the sleeve may be adjusted, so that the position of the diskon the tap body may be adjusted so as to operate the sleeve and therebytrip the chasers or cuttersdaccording to the depth of the cut dei sireIn assembling the tap, the core member 6 1s, as hereinbefore stated,wound up so that the spring 6 will have the desired tension and then thehandle is slipped through the collar` and into the opening 21 in thecore piece, thereby holding the spring under the tension given to it,and when the handle is shifted and the chasers locked in their Setposition, the coiled spring 6 is placed under still greater tension.When the chasers are released so as to collapse or return to theirnormal unset position, the coiled spring 6 throws the core piece 6 andthe handle over until the handle hits the opposite side of the elongatedslot 19, or one of the adjustable screws 22, according to the positionin which it is set.

In operation, the handle is shifted to rotate or oscillate the coremember 6, so that the corners thereof will force or project the cuttersoutwardly the desired distance. This shifting of the handle rotates oroscillates the collar therewith, so as to carry the recesses 18 of thecollar in position to register with the projections or lugs 20 of thesleeve, whereupon the sleeve is forced forward by the springs 27 andthereby locks the collar and of course the core member in position tomaintain the chasers in their set position. Thereupon the tap is fedforward in the usual way to engage and tap the work. When the piece ofwork has been completely tapped the disk 31 will come into engagementwith the forward end of the work, so that the further forward movementof the tap operates to push back the diskand with it the sleeve 25against the tension of upon the spring-pressed tripping pins 15' will,by reason of the V-shaped recesses 14, force the cutters inwardly orcollapse them in a manner which will be readily understood.

The adjustment of the set screws 22 with relation to the handlewilljdetermine the position of the corners of the core piece 6 withrelation to the cam ends of the cutters, so that by this means thecutters may be adjusted within certain limits to engage smaller orlarger pieces of work.

The various details may be Inore or less changed without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the claims, for instance it will vbe understoodthatl where the tap carries three cutters or chasers or six cutters orchasers as is sometimes the case, the core member would then have thesame number of curved or concave sides and corners. In other words thenumber of concave sides of course with the number of chasers that areused in the tap.

I claim as my invention:

1. A collapsible tap comprising a body having a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters, a core member Wound and held under tension for rotarymovement relatively to the body for shiftin the cutters, a coiled springconnected direct y to said core member for imparting rotary tensiondirectly to said core member, and means for setting and locking saidcore member in position to maintain the cutters shifted outwardly.

2. A collapsible tap comprisina .a body having a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters,l a core member wound and held under tension forrotary movement relatively to the body for shifting the cutters, acoiled' spring in alinement with said core member for imparting rotarytension directly to said core member, and means for setting anu lockingsaid core member in position tov maintain the cutters shifted outwardly,said core member having a plurality of corners corresponding with thenumber of cutters.

3. A collapsible tap comprising a body having a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters, a core member wound and held underl ters, a coremember wound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively tothe body forv shifting the cutters, a coiled spring connected directlyto said core member for imparting rotary tension directly to said coremember, means for setting and locking said core member in position tomaintain the cutters shifted outwardly, and spring tensioned meanslocated to engagethe rear of the cutters for collapsing the cutters.

5. A collapsible tap comprisin a body having a plurality of radially shitable cutters, a core member wound and held under tension for rot-arymovement relatively to the body for shifting the cutters, a coiledspring in alinement with and connected directly to said core member forimparting rotary tension directly to said coremember, means for settingand locking said core member in position to maintain the cutters shiftedoutwardly, said core member having a plurality of corners correspondingwith the lnumber of cutters, each ofthe cutters having an inclinedcam-formed face in posi- Vtion to be engaged by a corner of said coremember, and spring tensioned means located to engage the rear of thecutters for collapsing the cutters.

6. A collapsible tap comprisin sa body having a plurality of radiallyshi table cutters, a core member wound and held under tension for rotarymovement relatively to the body for shifting the cutters, a coiledspring connected directly to said core member for imparting rotarytension directly to said core member, means for setting the cutters, andmeans for locking said core member in position to maintain the cuttersshifted outwardly and including means automatically operative on itsengagement with the Work to release said cutters to permit them to belcollapsed.

7. A collapsible tap comprising a body having'a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters, a core member wound and held under tension for rotarymovement relatively to the body for shifting the cutters, a coiledspring directly' connected to said core member for imparting rotarytension directly to said core member, means for setting the cutters, andmeans for locking said core member in position to maintain the cuttersshifted outwardly and including means automatically operative on itsengagement with the work to release said cutters to permit them to becollapsed and comprising a spring tensioned sliding sleeve carried bythe body, a rotatable collar also carried by the body and rotatable withthe core, said collar and sleeve having coperating locking means.

v 8. Av collapsible tapcomprisin a body having a plurality of radiallyshi table cut-v ters, each rovided with a cam surface, spring tensionedmeans for collapsing the cutters, a core .member wound and held undertension for rotary movement relatively to the body for shifting .thecutters outwardly and comprising a member having a plurality of cornersfor engaging the camn formed surfaces of the cutters, a coiled springfor imparting rotary tension to said core member, a collar located onsaid body and having an elongated slot, ahandle projecting through saidslot and into the core member for setting the core member, adjustablemeans carried at each side of said slot for engaging the handle, aspring tensioned sliding sleeve mounted on said body at. the rear ofsaid collar, saidsleeve and collar having coperating recesses andprojections for locking the core member in position to maintain thecutters in working position, a sliding disk carried by the body infro-nt of said collar and adjustably connected with the sleeve wherebywhen the disk engages. the work the locking projections will bedisengaged from the recesses and thereby the core member released topermit the cutters to he collapsed.

il. A collapsible tap comprising a body, a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters carried thereby, a core member comprising a rotarycutter shiftahle portion, a spring and a nonrotary portion securely heldin saidrbody. the cutter shifting portion of the core member beingyvound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters` and means for setting and locking said coremember in position to maintain the cutters shifted outwardly, said coremember having` a series of cutter engaging surfaces.

l0. A collapsible tap comprising a body, a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters carried thereby, a. core member comprising a rotarycutter shiftable portion, a spring and a non-rotary portion securelyheld in said body, the cutter shifting portion of thc core member beingWound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, means for setting ind locking said core memberin position to maintain the cutters shifted outwardly. said core memberhaving a series of cutter engaging surfaces, and said cuttershavingcam-formed surfaces.

1l. A collapsible tap comprising a body, a plurality of radiallyshiftable cutters carried thereby, a core member comprising a. rotarycutter shiftable portion, a spring and a non-rotary portion securelyheld in said body, the cutter shifting portion of the core member beingwound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting thecutters, means for setting and locking said core memberin position to maintain the cutters shifted outwardly, said ceremem'berhaving a series of cutter engaging surfaces, said cutters havingcam-forn'ied surfaces, and sliding means operative on its engagementwith the work for releasing said locking means.

12. A collapsible tap comprising a body having an axial bore therein andradial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablccutters located in said slots, a core member located in said bore andavound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, a coiled spring located in said bore forimparting rotary tension directly to said core member, means forrotating the core member thereby to set the same, and means for lockingsaid core membe in its set. position.

13. A collapsible tap comprising a body having an axial bore therein andradial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablecutters located in said slots, a core vmember located in said bore andWound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, a coiled spring located in said bore at theinner end of said rotary core member for imparting rotary tensiondirectly to said core member, means for rotating the core member therebyto set the same, and means for locking said core member in its setposition.

l-t. A collapsible tap comprising a body having an aXi al bore thereinand radial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftable.cutters located in said slots, a core member located in said bore andWound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, a coiled spring located in alinement with saidcore member tor imparting rotary tension to said core member, means forrotating the core member thereby to set the lsame and comprising arotary collar, a

handle projecting therethrough directly into said core member wherebyboth are shiftable together, and means for locking said core member inits set position.

15. A collapsible tapcomprising a body having an axial bore therein andradial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablecutters located in said slots, a core mem'ber located in said bore andWound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, a coiled spring permanently held under rotarytension for imparting rotary tension directly to said core member, meansfor rotating the core member thereby to set the same, means for lockingsaid core member in its set position and comprising a sliding sleevelocated on the body, a spring located eXterio-rly of said bore forshifting said sleeve, a rotatable collar connected with said coremember, said sleeve and collar carrying one lugs and the other recessesfor locking the cutters, and means for shifting said sleeve against thetension of its spring to release the core member and thereby thecutters.

16. A collapsible tap comprising a body having an aXi-al bore thereinand radial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablecutters located in said slots, a core member located in said bore andwound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters, a coiled spring located in a-linement Withsaid core member for imparting rotary tension direct-ly to said coremem-ber, means for rotating the core member thereby to set the same andcomprising a rotary collar, a handle projecting therethrough directlyinto said core member whereby both are shiftable together, means forlocking said core men'iber in its set position and comprising a slidingsleeve located on the body, a.

spring located exteriorly of said bore for shifting said sleeve, saldsleeve and collar carrying one lugs and the other recesses, and meansfor shifting said sleeve against the tension of its 'spring thereby torelease the core member and thereby the cutters.

17. A collapsible tap comprising a 'body having an aXial bore thereinand' radial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablecutters located in said slots, a core member located in said bore andWound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shitting the cutters, a coiled spring located in said bore forimparting rotary tension directly to said core member, means forrotating the core member thereby to set the same and comprising a rotarycollar, a handle projecting therethrough directly into said core memberwhereby both are shiftable together, means for locking said lcore memberin its set position and comprising 'a sliding sleeve located on thebody, a spring located eX- teriorly of said bore for shitting saidsleeve, said sleeve and core member carrying one lugs and the otherrecesses for locking` the cutters, and means for shifting said sleeveagainst theltension of its spring thereby to release the core member andthereby' the' cutters.

18. A collapsible tap comprising a body having ,an axial bore thereinand radial slots at its forward end, a plurality of radially shiftablecutters located in said slots, a core member located in said bore andwound and held under tension for rotary movement relatively to the bodyfor shifting the cutters and comp-rising a rotary part and a fixed part,and a coiled spring also located in said bore between and connected tosaid rot-ary and fixed parts for directly in'iparting rotary tension tosaid rotary core. member part, means for rotating said rotary coremember part rthereby to set the cutters, means for locking the rotarycore member part in its set position, and means for releasing thelocking means.

19. A collapsible tap comprising a body having a plurality of radiallyshittable cutters, a core member cooperating With the cutters to shiftthem, a spring normally Wound up and in position to impart rotarytension to said core member, said core member being at all times, Woundand permanently held in such Wound condition under tension through themedium of said spring for rotary movement relatively to the body forshifting the cutters, means for permanently holding the core member insuch Wound condition, and means for setting and locking said core memberin position to maintain the cutters' shifted outwardly.

Signed at Cleveland, county oli' Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 22ndday of April, 1918.

BENJAMIN F. RINDFLEISCH.

